


Doggo Daycare

by battleaxe_bi



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst?, M/M, My First Work in This Fandom, Slow Burn Keith/Lance (Voltron), a lil internalized homophobia, discharged soldier keith, doggo daycare au, i never know what to do w lance's last name so i followed latinx roots, i wanna say it's my au but if someone thought of it before me all credit to you, kinda super gay, lance and allura are siblings in this, my first au that i am actually pursuing, so please be nice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-21
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-13 00:50:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13559181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/battleaxe_bi/pseuds/battleaxe_bi
Summary: Keith Kogane is a regular at Allura Santiago's doggy daycare, with his beautiful German Shepherd, Nikita.  With a sudden influx of other clients, his beautiful Nikita is handed to a new handler, Allura's brother, Lance. Nikita takes to him immediately, and Keith finds out she's not the only one.





	1. Chapter 1

         **KEITH**

 _Beep. Beep. Beep._ Keith's eyes lazily open, his hand fumbling for his alarm's snooze button. Unfortunately, there would be no more sleep for Keith; a very heavy, warm weight jumped onto his bed, and a blast of hot morning breath shocks him awake. A sloppy, wet tongue lapped up the side of his face and he laughed, rubbing his face against his bed sheets to wipe off the mess.

        "Morning, Nikita," he grunts, getting off the bed and walking over to the conjoining bathroom. His beloved German Shepherd, Nikita, tagged along, desperate for a belly rub before Keith's morning shower. Unfortunately for her, she would be shut outside the bathroom, where she waited patiently for her caretaker. 

        Keith Kogane had been sent home approximately one year ago from the Garrison. They had paid for all his education, and he graduated under an engineering major. He had been one of their best space fleet flyers, however due to an accident...Keith was found incapable of continuing his job. The Garrison was kind about it, giving him a five year pension, and if he had ever needed a recommendation for a job, they were happy to comply. Keith, however, couldn't sit back and take a retirement payment at 25. A few months ago, he had landed a nice mechanic job in Manhattan Beach, a little suburban city outside of Los Angeles. Shortly after moving there, he had found Nikita. Shiro, his old friend from the Garrison, recommended he get some company so he wouldn't feel so alone. Upon his first visit to the shelter, Nikita drew him in and he couldn't leave her there. Now, the two live in a regular routine.

        The bathroom door opened again and Keith was dressed in a pair of work jeans and his red uniform shirt with his name across the left breast pocket. He slipped on his socks and walked into the kitchen. Nikita was practically bouncing as he opened the pantry and served up her breakfast. Keith brewed a cup of coffee and watched Nikita tear into a rawhide bone. Checking the clock again, he cursed under his breath. He was running late.

          "All right, let's get moving," Keith muttered, and set the coffee mug in the sink. Once he had on his watch and collected his phone from it's charging port, he tied up his work boots and clipped Nikita to her leash. She waits patiently as he locks the house back up and then playfully bounces next to him to his truck. He helps her up into her seat and buckled her in. She was always good in the car, which he was grateful for.

         After he pulled into the daycare, he was alarmed at the amount of people there. The parking lot was nearly full, with several owners checking in their dogs. He helped her out of the passenger seat, and followed the flow of people. The daycare had a shop with it, with leashes, collars, treats, and toys. 

         "Hello, Keith, how are you today?" A girl greeted him at the counter. She had gray hair, but it was fashionably styled that way, bronze, sun-kissed skin, and had color-changing eyes, at least, they didn't have an obvious shade. He had known her for quite some time now; it was the manager and Nikita's handler, Allura.

          Keith gestured lamely to Nikita. "Back for another day at daycare, with her favorite person."

          Allura turned her attention back to Keith. "About that..."

          "What is it?" Keith felt a jolt of panic.

          "Nothing serious," Allura reassured. "It's just, as you can see, we're becoming more popular. A lot of new clients, which means a lot of new paperwork. It also means I'll be out of commission as a handler for a while."

          Keith tried to decrease the panic rising. Nikita loved Allura, and this daycare. He didn't know how she would take to a new handler.

          "Who is this?" A voice cut off Allura's. A boy, similar to Allura in his features, appeared from behind him. The only real difference is that this guy's hair was deep brown to contrast his deep blue eyes. A smirk was painted across his face, and his tone didn't exactly verify if he had been talking about Keith or Nikita. His name tag read "Lance" with a few stickers around it. 

          "You're late," Allura replied smoothly, then turned back to Keith. "Sorry for his interruption. As I was saying, I'll be out of commission for a while. So, we're just going to reintroduce Nikita to the handler's again. Whoever she takes to the most will be the handler until I can step back in again."

          Keith nodded. "Okay, makes sense. Do you want me in here while you do that or...?"

          Lance's smirk deepened. "Oh, I can help you there. Allura can take your beautiful pup, and I'll show you around-"

          "No," Allura cut in, sensing Keith's discomfort. "You're a handler, Lance, you have to be there during the tests."

          Lance sent Keith one last wink, causing his brow to furrow.  _What was that guy's deal?_ Allura had been speaking, and he forced himself to tune back in. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

          Allura laughed; a light tinkling sound. "I was just saying my brother is a bit of a handful. I can take Nikita to test now, and if you want, you can browse the store or whatever you want, just make sure you are toward the back right of the store- if Nikita sees you, it will mess up her results. And," she added, "don't be afraid to tell Lance to leave you alone. I don't want him heckling my clients."

         Keith nodded again and handed over Nikita's leash after wishing her good luck and giving her a few pets before waving "goodbye" to both of them. 

         As he sauntered back to the far right corner, he absentmindedly checked out the various squeaky toys, beds, and dishes. Keith became slightly aware of the glances of the other customers, the majority of them female. He'd have to keep in mind to come as soon as possible to avoid the rush; the attention making his face flush. Shiro had wanted Keith to find someone human to keep him company, but Keith found humans hard to deal with that's why he adopted-

         "Keith!" Allura's head popped out from behind a column. "Nikita did wonderfully, she likes the new handler almost as much as she likes me."

         "Sounds great!" Keith said, and followed her back to the main area. He checked his watch, making sure he had time before he had to go to work. Upon rounding the corner, Nikita's happy tail wagged so hard it was making loud thuds along the wall. Peering over the wall, he tried to keep his jaw from dropping and his eyes from showing their disbelief.

         Lance beamed up at him, the rest of him very preoccupied in a tug of war with Nikita. "I thought we'd be seeing a lot of each other," he laughed. Nikita soon abandoned efforts in the war in order to jump up on Lance's shoulders to lick his face. 

        Keith choked down a sour retort. He didn't want to ask Allura for another handler, especially if Lance was Nikita's first choice. "Seems that way," he managed. 

        "Well, I'll leave you three alone. Keith, if there's anything you want Lance to know, make sure he's understood," Allura chirped with a hard look at Lance.

        As she smiled cheerfully in farewell, Keith turned back to Lance. Lance was awaiting his instruction on the other side of the daycare wall. Keith cleared his throat before speaking. "Nikita's a good girl, she shouldn't be too much of a hassle. No allergies. I'm still trying to train her not to jump up on people, so if she does, just tell her 'no' or 'heel'. Don't shout, she hates that, I don't think you would," he hastily added, "it's just so you know. She's trained to walk on a leash, sit, stay, lay down. If you have any questions, please call me before making a decision. I left my work and personal number on the forms."

       "And are you okay with me taking her out for walks and to do her business?" Lance asked, taking on a new business like tone.

       "Yeah, of course. She's not a fighter, as you see. I've got her chipped too, so if she gets away from you somehow, call me immediately and we can work from there," Keith responds. 

       Lance's eyebrow arched at the "we", and Keith regretted his word choice instantly. Thankfully, Lance didn't poke fun, and instead flashed him a bright supernova smile. "Sounds great. I'll see you later."

       Keith's stomach jumped at the last phrase. "Y-yeah, okay, see you then."

       Lance obviously enjoyed his discomfort, but didn't prolong the goodbyes. Keith gave Nikita a few more pets before departing quickly, shaking his head after the daycare door dinged shut.  _He's just trying to get under your skin, wouldn't be the first person either,_ Keith thought. He drove off to work trying to erase Lance's face from his mind. 


	2. Chapter 2

**LANCE**

        Lance had the prickling feeling on the back of his neck that Keith Kogane did not like him. Of course, it wasn't the first time someone didn't like him. He'll just have to prove to him that he is a great new handler for Nikita. As the people died down for the day, Lance found his mind drawn specifically to Keith. Which again, wasn't something new. There were a lot of good looking people that he saw everyday, working at his sister's daycare. He normally didn't let the flirting go on however, a lot of people just dropped off their dogs to get rid of them for the work day and only wanted them back when they were all played out. 

        Lance, while making sure to give Nikita her much deserved belly rub, called out to his sister at main desk. "Hey, Allura!"

        She sighed and walked over to him, peering over the daycare wall like Keith had done. "What's up?"

        "I just started working here this month, and you give one of our regulars to me. What's up with that?" Lance asked.

        "Well, I didn't exactly _give_ him to you. Nikita chose you. And with that in mind, I know you can handle her. She's a sweetheart. And Keith can keep you in line with her," she laughed. 

        Lance smirked up at her. "Yeah, that Keith...he's something, isn't he?"

        Allura looked back at him incredulously. "Maybe, but not my type at all. Besides, you know I have that thing going on right now with Shiro. Funny story, he actually knows Keith from the Garrison."

        "Oh, so he's a soldier boy?" Lance replied, and a few of the nearby handlers laughed.

        "Yeah, and if he hears you call him that, you'll be a dead man walking," Nikola snorted.

        Allura looked disapprovingly at her coworkers. "Hey, he's one of our best clients. And, he is a retired soldier which means that he was protecting us at one point," she turned her attention back to her little brother. "Keith's a nice guy, really. I mean, he got this little cutie, hasn't he?"

        Nikita wags her tail and has now found a bone to chew on. Lance, with one eye on her, exited the play area to stand next to Allura on the outside. "So, he's a soldier. Retired early, means some kind of dark past, right? Now, he lives in a sunny little town by L.A., and that's it? That's all you're gonna give me?"

       "Oh, please," Allura huffed, heading back to her desk. "If you want to get to know him better, just ask him out."

       A blaze of heat covered his cheeks as he tried (and failed) to stammer out, "I didn't mean it like that!" 

       Turning his attention back to Nikita, he remembered that Keith said she was trained. He began to wonder if she would even listen to him after being with Allura for so long and being originally trained by Keith. He grabbed a bag of Milkbones off the back rack and called her over to him. 

       "Okay, girl, let's see what you got," Lance said. "Sit."

       Nikita promptly sat down. Lance smiled and nodded, handing her a treat and cooing praises. After she finished with her treat, she waited for another command. 

       "Lay down."

       Similar result, which Lance again encouraged. He rattled down each of her commands that Keith had given him, to each Nikita executed perfectly and nearly immediately. "You wanna learn something new today?"

       Lance's question was met with a bark and quite a few heavy thumps of Nikita's tail.

* * *

 

       About eight hours later, and Lance is practically bouncing with anticipation. Every time the door's bell dings, he can't help but jump up to see if it was Keith. At a quarter after five, a familiar mop of black hair and the red work shirt walked through the door. Despite his earlier energy, his excitement suddenly plummets through his stomach. Keith makes his way over to the play area after paying Allura for the day, where Lance and Nikita wait, rather impatiently. 

       "How's my girl?" Keith cooed to Nikita, sending a blush to Lance's cheeks for some reason. A little too late, apparently, because Keith caught it and began to blush himself. "How'd she do?"

       "Amazing!" Lance burst out, a little too eager. "I actually taught her some new stuff today!"

       Keith's eyebrow arched. "New stuff, huh? Like what?"

       Lance grinned, grabbed the pack of Milkbones, and walked back over to Nikita. "Sit."

       "She already knew that, but-"

       "No, there's more," Lance interrupted. "Shake."

       Lance held out his hand and Nikita promptly put her paw in it, allowing two shakes before Lance dropped it. "And there's one more," he added to Keith's skeptical expression. "Nikita, dance."

       Lance held out both hands, palms up. A moment of hesitation followed, and a little sweat began to form on Lance's neck.  _Come on, girl, don't do this to me, not now._

       A moment of relief follows as Nikita places both her front paws in Lance's hands and stands up on her hind legs. Lance almost feels like cheering in triumph as he does a little mock Samba with Nikita. Looking up and seeing Keith's rocky expression, his smile drips off his face. 

       "And, heel, Nikita," Lance coughs out, and Nikita immediately drops away from Lance. Keith's expression is still stoic, and his arms were now crossed over his chest.

       "You taught my dog, in the eight hours I was gone, to shake your hand, and  _dance_..." Keith's voice seemed dangerously low, and Lance immediately understood what Nikola had been saying earlier. 

       "I'm sorry, it was stupid, it won't happen again," Lance mumbled. 

       Keith's arms uncrossed, and a small smile appeared on his lips. "You don't stay quiet long, do you, Lance?"

       Lance didn't respond. 

       "If you had waited a bit longer, I would've said that you also managed to teach her how to heel. At least, you have taught her to heel after doing the Samba, was it? That was a pretty big goal for her, and that's impressive. For the both of you," Keith said, flourishing his statement with a rare smile that made Lance's stomach flop. 

       Lance laughed nervously. "So, you'll be coming back?"

       Keith clipped Nikita back on her leash, still smiling. "Yeah. See you Monday. Don't be late, either. I'm an early riser."

       


	3. Chapter 3

**KEITH**

        Keith opened his eyes the next morning, foggy and dazed. He normally doesn't sleep in. Keith flops over on his side to a warm body with shaggy brown hair...Keith's eyes shot open and he sat up quickly, startling the sleeping dog. His heart racing, he slumped back down, rubbing his face.  _It was just the dog, calm down._ Keith shook his head.  _What else would it have been?_

        Now that she was awake, Nikita began to grow impatient with Keith's sluggish movements. She licked at his hand, then a sloppy kiss on his face. 

        "Come on, give a guy a warning," Keith groaned in protest, wiping the slobber off his cheek. "I got a special treat for you today."

        At the word "treat", Nikita began to jump around the bed then onto the floor. Keith dragged himself up, and into the bathroom for his morning shower. Wrapping his waist with a towel, Keith came out of the shower to get dressed. He pulled out a pair of jeans and a plain black v-neck shirt. Grabbing his phone from it's charging port and his wallet from his dresser, he put on some sneakers and walked into the kitchen. His phone pinged.

         Keith leaned over and grabbed it from it's position on his kitchen counter. It was a text from Shiro. 

          **Allura told me you met Lance yesterday for the first time. How'd that go?**

         Keith sighed. Of  _course_ Allura told him, he should've known. Shiro was his old commander at the Garrison, and one of the people he'd admired most. After he'd retired, Keith soon followed. After a finding Nikita and the daycare, he'd told Shiro about Allura and within two weeks there was wind of a tiny relationship forming. Apparently, things were still going good.

         Keith typed out a quick response. **Yeah, went great. Nikita likes him.**

         A responding ping came back within seconds: **That's good, you know, dogs are excellent judges of character.**

          **Whatever you're trying to say, Shiro, just come out and say it** , Keith texted back. He regretted his word choice when he saw Shiro's reply.

          **All I'm trying to say is to let you know I support you. You won't lose any respect to me. Lance seems like a good guy, and if you are even a bit interested you should go for it, okay? I don't want to see you alone forever.**

        Keith rubbed his face. He had come out about a year ago, and ever since he'd left the Garrison, he had not pursued anyone. Not even the guy who'd bought him drinks and wrote his number down on a napkin for Keith with a heart at the end, who seemed like at least an easy starter into the dating life. After confiding this to Shiro, he said Keith had an issue with the fear of failure and gave him the worst advice ever: "Trust yourself and your judgement."

        Keith took a minute to reply. **I know, Shiro. Trust myself and all that. Maybe Lance just isn't my type? Think of that?**

        His phone was silent and he almost sent an apology for being snippy when Shiro's response came in. **I'll admit I didn't. From what Allura told me, Lance seemed eager to impress you, which meant to me, he might like you. Only way to know if you could like him back is to ask him out.**

        The last three words plummeted like red hot stones down Keith's throat.  _Ask him out? God, no. Why would_ I  _ask_ him  _out?  Lance obviously seems way more experienced in the whole dating scene. Besides, who says being eager to impress me means he likes me? Maybe he just wanted to show he was good with my dog and I could trust him..Yeah, no, no, thank you._

        **Alright, Shiro, if he does anything else in the next two months that suggests he would be interested in me, and I mean really interested, I'll consider it** , Keith typed out.  **But I'm not going out of my way.**

        **Okay, good. Just looking out for you, Keith. Also, Allura says hi** , Shiro said.  

        Nikita was impatiently waiting, running in circles around Keith now. After feeding her breakfast and having a toasted bagel for himself, he grabs her leash and she happily allows herself to be lead outside into his car. After a short drive, he pulled into one of Nikita's favorite places..the dog park. At this point she can hardly contain her excitement and is floundering around in the passenger seat. Leading her out of the car, nearly all her leash training has gone out the window, and she is practically pulling Keith to the off leash area. The second she is freed, she bounds away, playing with the other dogs and enjoying the open area. 

         Keith keeps an eye on her, making sure she doesn't cause any trouble. Turning away to survey other dog owners in the park, he found most of them were, unfortunately, female. He always seemed to attract attention in these situations and he could already feel eyes on him. Looking back to find Nikita, his heart drops. She's gone. He scans quickly through the crowd of people, too many people, and their dogs. Panic begins to build. It's a gated area, she couldn't have gone far, unless...someone took her. She's a beautiful dog, Keith wouldn't put it past someone to...

         "Someone lose a dog?" A familiar voice asked, and Keith thought he was going to pass out. 

         "Hey, Lance," he managed, trying to tame the panic now whipping around his chest. Lance was wearing a pair of ripped jeans, a striped blue and white tee-shirt, and a pair of white Vans and his usual cocky grin.  _Lance looks good,_ Keith thought, then quickly added,  _outside of his work clothes._ However, his head chose to just focus on the words "outside of his clothes". 

         "Looks like somebody missed me," Lance replied, and for a moment Keith thought he'd die on the spot. Did he actually...? After a beat of silence a beat too long, Keith realized he was talking about Nikita. 

         "Oh, yeah," Keith said, scrambling for coherent sentences. "She doesn't normally run off too far, scared me a bit. What, uh, are you doing here? Do you have a dog?"

         Lance shrugged. "I wasn't planning on stopping by to be honest. I was just walking through the area when she practically jumped me in the middle of the park," he added with a laugh.

         Keith looked sternly at Nikita, who was wagging her tail violently and circling around Lance like she was the Earth to his Sun. "I'm sorry about that, yesterday she seemed to have a good idea about heeling, but for some reason it's like she entirely forgot."

         "What do you mean?" Lance asked, his brows furrowed. "She didn't actually jump on me. She started to and I told her to heel. She did, by the way."

         Keith was also now very confused. "Can you try it again? Maybe I was doing something off."

         "Ooh, you want  _me_ to teach you how I get your dog to listen to me?" Lance's typical cocky grin assumed it's position on his face. 

         Keith felt his face flush and he coughed to keep his throat from closing up. "I'm just making sure that it wasn't a fluke and you aren't getting cocky for no reason."

         Lance was still smirking when he called back out to Nikita, who had abandoned her efforts to get pet by Lance. However, she was eager to respond to Lance's call and bounded back to them. Keith's stomach flopped at the sight of Lance's excited expression, cooing at his dog. 

         Nikita jumped once on Lance, and he responded firmly, "Heel."

         She whined, but relented, and sat down promptly. Keith completely forgot about Lance's face. "Are you kidding me? Hold on, let me try," Keith said, "Nikita, come here, girl!" 

         Now forgetting about Lance, she jumped onto Keith. "Heel," Keith spoke, in the same firm tone as Lance. The dog, however, disregarded his command, and continued to reach her paws onto Keith's stomach. "Heel," Keith tried again, but to no avail.

         "Heel," Lance finally chimed in, and Nikita reluctantly bounced off of Keith and sat back down. Her tail thumped against the earth, looking at both of them, ready for her rewards for following his command. 

         "I cannot believe this," Keith said, dusting off his shirt and jeans. "I've been replaced." 

         Lance chuckled once, then stopped, looking at Keith to gauge his reaction. Keith couldn't repress himself anymore and let a laugh escape him. Lance must've been relieved, Keith thought, because he smiled; though this smile was different than the ones he had seen him give at the daycare. This one seemed more...genuine. Keith reached into his pocket and pulled out a treat to give to Nikita. 

          "So.." Lance finally spoke, shifting awkwardly from one foot to another. 

          Keith coughed again, not exactly knowing how to end the silence. Nikita had run off to play again, leaving the two alone. 

          "I guess, see you Monday?" Lance said.

          "Yep, yeah, sounds good," Keith managed to say, cursing himself internally for the awkwardness. He gave a short wave to Lance, which was returned before he was out of Keith's line of sight. Nikita now came running back with a stick in her mouth looking around for Lance. Keith sighed, tugging the stick from her mouth and tossing it. 

          "Well, there goes that," he muttered. 

         


	4. Chapter 4

**LANCE**

         _Oh, my God, "see you Monday"? Seriously? Have I really lost it?_ Lance bitterly thought, wishing desperately to turn back time. Say something more slick, or ask him out for coffee, maybe? He spent every moment of that weekend analyzing and reanalyzing the situation in his head. His old childhood nightmare had been replaced with reruns of it, except now Keith seemed to look at him with disgust the whole time.  _Was that actually what was happening? Oh, god, what if he's straight? What if he knows I'm...not?_

         "Hey, Earth to Lance? We've got three cinnamon rolls ready, are we clear to land?" A voice shook Lance from his current frowning, drawing his attention.

         Lance tried to rub away the frown lines starting to appear on his forehead. "Thanks, you guys. This weekend's been...weird."

         Sitting opposite of him in a cafe booth were Pidge Holt and Hunk Taepovi, happily chewing on their cinnamon buns, goopy with frosting. Hunk quickly swallowed his bite and after a gulp of coffee, addressed Lance.

         "Weird, how? Didn't you just get here, like, two weeks ago? Allura hired you too, so you've got money, right? What, have the ladies at the daycare been hitting on you a little too hard?" 

         Lance poked at his food. "Sometimes, but it's not really that. It's kinda..the opposite? I don't know, I'm just, ugh," he groaned, unable to express exactly what he's been thinking about for the past 48 hours. 

         "So," Pidge said lightly, "What's he look like?"

         Lance choked on his coffee. 

         "Pidge!" Hunk scolded. "You can't just go into a sentence like that with that tone! This could be serious! It might not even be a guy, last time Lance got upset it was because his landlord wouldn't let him get a Samoyed."

         "Hello? Lance is right here!" He interjected. "And that Samoyed was worth breaking the rules, I don't get why he won't let me adopt him. But, for your information, it  _might_ have something to do with a guy."

         "Well, why didn't you say so! You know I like to know what's going on with you," Pidge said, taking another bite of her cinnamon bun. 

         Lance shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, but this is different. He's someone you know," Lance looked at Pidge. "And I feel like that makes things even weirder."

         Pidge and Hunk both leaned forward in anticipation. Lance's eyes widened. "Wait, you want me to tell you  _here_? It's way too public, what if someone, like,  _knows_ him and tells him I was talking about him? Then we're going to have to have an awkward confrontation! Oh, God, what is there is no awkward confrontation and it's just both of us knowing what happened but neither of us saying it because we want to avoid the confrontation."

         Lance melted down in his side of the booth. Pidge and Hunk exchanged looks. 

         "Whoever it is, Lance, I'm sure it can't be that bad to tell us. We just want you to be able to be you again," Pidge finally said. 

         Lance looked up at the two of them, their faces knit with a new worry. "We care about you, man. Don't be weird about it," Hunk added.

         Lance swiveled his head around the cafe, as if expecting to see Keith himself relaxing in one of the overstuffed armchairs littered around the shop. He sighed, knowing that nothing could dissuade the two from getting a name out of him. He gestured for them to lean closer and muttered under his breath, "Keith Kogane."

         Pidge body rocketed back in her seat. "What?! No freaking way! Ke-"

         Both Hunk and Lance shushed her at the same time. 

         "Not so loud!" Lance whisper-shouted. "But, yeah,  _him_."

         "But-but how did..? How did you..? When did you..? What?" Pidge asked. 

         "It was at the daycare," Lance answered, trying to keep his voice down. "He's got this great dog, she's such a sweetheart, she's a German Shepard, and her name's Nikita-"

        Hunk rolled his eyes. "If you talk about his dog anymore I'm going to assume you're into him because of the dog. Which would be creepy."

        Lance almost choked on his coffee again. "Don't be gross, man. But, uh, yeah. I'm sort of in charge of Nikita during the day and so I get to see Keith, like every weekday, except for yesterday." His face burned remembering yesterday. "I-I saw Nikita at the dog park and she ran straight to me. I walked her back and Keith and I talked and I should've just taken the plunge and said, hey, what's your number? Or, would you wanna go to dinner or something? But,  _no,_ I just said, "See you Monday!" and walked away, like an idiot."

        After telling his tale, he collapsed again on the table top, even his ears had become flamed with embarrassment. 

        "Well..." Pidge seemed to be struggling with a positive to this. "It could've gone worse, right?"

        "How much worse?! I practically ran away with him and I didn't even get his number! I have to face him on Monday!"

        "He could've said to leave him alone forever and request a new handler," Hunk offered, a moment too late. 

        "Oh, my God. He's gonna ask for a new handler. He's going to be so weirded out by me finding his dog in a park and then running away that he's going to request a new handler and I'm never going to see him again or have a chance to make things right!"

        Pidge glowered at Hunk, who realized his mistake too soon. "Lance. Come on. Focus. You're still gonna see him Monday, right? Just make it through tonight, gauge his conversation with you tomorrow and see if there is anything  _obviously_ weird. You're overthinking all of this. You haven't given him a reason to not like you, you've just been awkward. Which, he has no room to judge, he is really awkward too if I remember correctly. If things are good tomorrow, maybe give him your number, or offer to get a coffee sometime."

        Lance sat up slowly, a smile appearing on his face albeit weak. "Thanks, you guys."

        "Don't mention it," Pidge replied. "Just at least let me know what's going on from now on, because I'm kinda invested."

        "Sure thing," Lance said and the three clinked coffee mugs.

         _Just gotta make it through tonight and talk to Keith tomorrow._

* * *

 

KEITH

        Keith had a weird weekend. Now, sitting in his bed on Sunday night, a gnawing feeling began in his stomach. If Keith didn't know any better, he would think it was anxiety. But what did he have to be nervous about? Work? Definitely not. That was all he had planned for tomorrow, that and taking Nikita to and from daycare. The gnawing feeling seemed to have suddenly acquired poisonous fangs. What about the daycare was making him like this? Nikita was always good there, and she always came back to him safe. She even liked Lance, even though he was... _Oh._ Keith's gut twisted.

        It was  _Lance._

        Repeating his name in Keith's mind caused a commotion in his chest.  _But it's just another guy,_ Keith thought. Sure, Lance was attractive, in a spring-break-fling sort of way. Keith hadn't even had a fling since...His mind turned up empty. Keith hadn't ever had a fling. Not in high school, not at the Garrison (and believe it or not, the base had it's fair share of them), and definitely not any time recently. The rational part of his mind chose this time to speak up,  _Exactly why you don't like Lance. Too much going on. Not good. Better to wait._

        Nikita had now wandered into the room and hopped onto the bed, circling around by Keith's feet. 

        "What do you think, huh? Do  _you_ like Lance?" Keith asked.

        Nikita's ears perked up and she bounded out of bed and looked at Keith from the bedroom door. Keith swung his legs off the bed,  _Great,_ now  _you have to pee._ As he opened the door she ran to the front door, pawing at it. Keith clipped her leash on, frowning. She always used the back door to go out to do her business. The second he opened the door, Nikita just stood there, looking around. After a second, she looked up at Keith, her head tilting to the side as if to say:  _Where is it?_ or, correction,  _Where is_ he _?_

        She walked away from the door, and Keith shut it while taking the lead clip off her collar. "Were you looking for Lance?"

        Nikita wagged her tail at Keith. 

        "I seriously cannot believe this," Keith said aloud, "You were actively looking for someone. For Lance?"

        Saying the name made her wag her tail harder, and a whine emanated from her throat which turned into a bark.

        "Hey, now," Keith soothed. "None of that. Come on, let's go to bed. You just gotta make it through tonight and you can see," he cleared his throat, " _him_ all day tomorrow, okay?"

        This seemed to please the dog, as she jumped back on the bed, and re-evaluated her spot before plopping down in it. Keith re-situated himself, pulling the covers back over himself, and turning off the bedside lamp. 

         _Just make it through tonight, and you can talk to him in the morning. Maybe that'll help._


	5. Chapter 5

**KEITH**

        The next morning, Keith loaded a very excited German Shepard into his car. He knew better than to actually say Lance's name at this point, she was so excited, he was afraid she might pee in her seat. He pulled into to a spot at the daycare, Nikita positively whining for attention. He checked the dashboard clock,  **7:15 AM**. It is definitely earlier than usual and surveying the lot, he felt a stab of unease when he saw only one car. Which would be Allura. He knew that she opened at 7 AM. Keith remembered telling Lance specifically that he would be coming earlier, did he not hear? Or think he was joking? He shook his head clear of any more questions, refusing to entertain the ideas anymore. 

          Nikita practically pulled Keith into the store, the door bell tinkling lightly. The shop seemed deserted, and he thought maybe Allura was in the back office. 

          "Allura?" Keith called. "Are you back there?"

          A untidy mop of brown hair poked out from the office door. "Be out in a sec," Lance responded quickly, almost shrilly. 

          Whispers were exchanged quickly before Lance was unceremoniously shoved out and the door shut. Lance turned around quickly, straightening himself up, and running a hand through his hair. Keith felt his stomach flop at the sight of his signature smile. "Hey, how are my favorite clients?"

          "Aren't we your only clients?" Keith joked.

          Lance's cheeks turned pink. "I mean, uh, sort of? All the better to love this little girl with!" Lance bent over to scratch Nikita ears as she wagged her tail hard enough to slap against Keith's thigh. 

          Keith felt his own face burn. "Trust me, she's excited. She was freaking out last night," without pausing to think about what he was saying, Keith barreled on. "When she heard your name, she ran to the door to look for you."

          Lance straightened up. "She heard my name? Talking about me to your dog last night, Kogane?"

          Wow. Keith had never expected: one, that he would actually tell him such a thing; and 2, that hearing Lance say his last name would send shivers down his spine. Keith hated seeing Lance act so cocky and he retorted, "Your name came up, but trust me _Santiago_ , her reaction wasn't the same as mine."

          "Ooh, even better than running around looking for me? Please, tell me what was going on last night?"

          Keith was furiously blushing now, though when he looked up at Lance's face he was surprised to see he wasn't the only one. "I..um..well, I didn't know you take so much interest in my personal life."

          "And if I did?"

          Almost as if in competition of who could get the upper hand, the two had drawn closer to each other. Nikita seemed thrilled with her two favorite people were so near. Still on her lead, she tugged Keith forward, circled around Lance's lower legs, and back around Keith's legs.

         "Ach!"

         "What-"

         Keith was tugged forward, in his shock unable to let go of Nikita's lead until he was already tangled up with Lance. He was aware of everything Lance- his heartbeat, his breath that smelled faintly of cinnamon, the thousands of eyelashes framing his blue eyes, a pair of oceans that Keith was drowning in. Finally, his hands began to work and he dropped Nikita's leash, taking two big steps away from Lance. Both of them stared at each other, the awkward situation encompassing them.

         "I, uh, I'm going to be late for work. Um, bye," Keith stuttered out, and dashed out of the store.

         A little voice inside his head chided him for not turning around, running back into the daycare, and doing.... _something._ Anything was better than just running. The same voice wondered if Lance was thinking the same thing. Keith started the car, a mix of fear and excitement bubbling in his stomach. He glanced back at the doors, the little voice begging for Lance to come running out and stop Keith. No movement confirmed Keith's fear: Lance wouldn't be running after him, because Keith just made things even worse than they already were.

        All day at work, Keith's stomach kept flipping and he was as jittery as he was back at the Garrison. He practically barricaded himself in the shop's corner, fixing in a new radio for some youth that thought they were too good for a CD/Cassette tape player. Half way through restarting the system, his phone went off, surprising him so much he knocked his head on the hood. 

        He scrambled for his phone. On the screen, there was a new message from an unknown number. Keith unlocked his phone, assuming it was just another stupid bot. 

        **Hey, I know this is probably a breach of privacy?? I just needed to talk to you. About this morning. It's Lance, btw**

       Keith froze. Oh, god. He put his number on the forms under an emergency contact for Nikita. Lance had gotten his number and it was not the way Keith hoped. Wait,  _hoped_? No. Nope. This is not the place nor the time to even discuss  _that_.

        **Hey. It's ok. Sorry about Nikita this morning. Apparently she still has problems with heeling.**

       Keith's whole body tensed over the workbench as he waited for a response. 

        **Yeahh I just don't want things to be weird. You left really fast.**

       Keith winced. Of course Lance would've noticed that.  **Sorry about that too. Having a busy day at work, couldn't hang around too long.**

       The ting of his phone was instantaneous.  **Oh, okay. Just wanna make sure we're still cool.**

        **Yeah, we're cool. Don't worry about it.** Keith sent it, definitely worrying about it.

       Lance seemed to think that was a decent way to end a conversation, or maybe he refocused to actually doing his job and taking care of Nikita.  _Like you should be doing your job,_ a voice scorned. Keith turned back to the car, trying to let himself accept that whatever happened this morning, it couldn't possibly get any worse. 

           


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> good GOD im so sorry this took so long, im was working 20+ hours a week on top of being a full time student but now im out of class so i should have more time to work on this! also, thank you all for the kudos and comments, it means so much to me as a new writer!

**KEITH**

        It got worse. Of course it got worse, because nothing Keith ever did could just be simple. He prolonged his work on the car, trying to prevent the inevitable. The head mechanic peeked his head around the corner, the only way Keith knew it was him was the shock of ginger hair.

        "What's up, Coran?" Keith asked, pretending like it wasn't unusual for him to stay after hours. 

        Coran frowned and walked up to him. "I don't mean to come off as rude, but what are you doing here? You never stay, especially not for a job as small as this."

        "Well, I just want to be thorough. Don't want it to..fall apart or something," Keith shrugged.

        "You're one of our best mechanics, Keith-"

        "I bet you say that to everyone," Keith interrupted with a sour laugh.

        Coran's frown deepened and his tone seemed almost fatherly. "Is there something going on?"

        "Just someone...giving me a hard time," Keith winced at the unintended innuendo. 

        "Nothing you can't handle, I'm sure, you're a strong lad," Coran said. 

        Keith shut the car's hood a little too hard. "It's not in that sense. They're just confusing..I'm confused, but I don't want to unload on you, you shouldn't need to worry about me. I don't want you to worry or anything."

        For the first time, Keith noticed the wrinkles around Coran's eyes and wondered how old his boss actually was. Did he have kids? A wife? Or is all this coming from lack thereof? 

        "Okay, well, if you need a day or two off work to figure stuff out, all you have to do is ask. You have to take care of yourself. Now, get out of the shop before I lock you in for the night," Coran said, clapping a hand on Keith's back before disappearing into the back room. 

        Keith told himself that it shouldn't be this hard to pick up his dog, definitely shouldn't be this hard to face a person. For God's sake, he piloted fighter units in  _space_. This should be nothing compared to that. Fingers shaking slightly, he put his keys in the ignition. Once at the daycare, he immediately felt guilty.

        He opened the doors, the jingle of the familiar bells almost relaxing. 

        Lance jolted up from the play area. "Oh, hey. I was beginning to worry..about what was holding you up," he added quickly.

        Keith cleared his throat. "Just some stuff at work. Nothing serious."

        "You say that," Allura's voice chimed from the back. "But you made me late for my date."

        "Ah, I'm sure Shiro will forgive me," Keith said, a wave of relief washing over him once he realized he would not be alone with Lance.

        She walked out of the office, locking the door behind her. "Well, we decided to close early for the night, you were the last person to come. So, see you tomorrow, and don't be late again!"

        Allura disappeared with a wave out the door. Keith became aware that he was, in fact, alone with Lance. Well, Nikita was there, too. He cleared his throat and reached for Nikita's lead. 

        "Well, thanks for sticking around. I-uh, we appreciate it," Keith mumbled. 

        Lance moved away, still holding the lead. "It  _is_ my job, Kogane."

        Chills raced down Keith's spine and goosebumps raised on his arms. He quickly clenched his fist and tried to steel his nerves. He didn't need to be so nervous around him, nor should Lance have such an effect on him. 

        Lance reached out and his fingertips grazed Keith's arm before Keith jerked away. Lance frowned. "Did I do something wrong? Is this...about this morning?" 

        Guilt settled down in Keith's gut. Lance looked just like Nikita after Keith would scold her. Those big blue eyes seemed filled with worry, and concern, and a part of Keith yearned to just reach out and hold him. _Wrap his arms around Lance's waist and pull him close, and bury his face in his neck...._

"I have to go," Keith said, his voice deeper than usual. He reached for the lead again, and Lance evaded him again. 

        "No!" Lance's voice was firm. "I don't want to keep doing this. If it's really bothering you to be around me so much, maybe...Maybe you should ask for a handler reassignment."

        Keith was shocked. "No, no, Lance it's not- I don't want a new handler, Nikita already likes you so much, and-"

        "Then why do you act like you hate me? If you can't handle being around me, it's obvious that we can't keep working together!"

        " _I don't hate you!_ " Keith's voice suddenly seemed too loud, echoing off the walls. Lance shrunk away, almost as if trying to disappear all together. 

        Nikita, on the other hand, moved in between the two men, facing towards Keith, almost...shielding Lance? Keith's guilt weighed even heavier in his stomach. He made his own dog think he was going to hurt Lance. He let his temper get out of control...again. He hung his head and rubbed his eyes. 

        "I'm sorry," he whispered, and tugged Nikita's lead from Lance's shaky hand. "I'm sorry."

        He headed for the door when he heard Lance's voice. "Wait."

        Stunned, he froze. 

        "Keith, I don't know what else to do. You say you don't hate me, but you refuse to even get near me anymore. If it freaks you out that I'm bi, fine,  _I'll_ request a handler change because I don't know if I can be around someone who is obviously disgusted by me!"

         _I'm bi._ The words echoed around in Keith's head and a rush of blood flowed right to his cheeks. "I-I'm not..it's not like that, I...

        "Then what is it?" Lance asked, his voice now at a shout. 

        "I didn't know you were bi!" Keith burst out, wheeling around to face Lance. "I panicked, okay? Being gay is hard enough as it is, and having someone like you around didn't help! I don't want to get too close because I figured you were straight and I didn't want you to think I was throwing myself at you. But every time I get near you...Something happens and I end up embarrassing myself. Okay? That's it."

        He walked out the door, and when he looked back for a moment, he saw Lance still standing there, frozen. Getting into the car, he rubbed his face again.  _When did it become so hard to just be with someone? Why did I take it out on him? It's not exactly his fault I'm like this. Why can't I just be happy?_

       


	7. Chapter 7

**LANCE**

        After Keith stormed out, Lance stood there, unable to move.  _So, he doesn't hate me_ , Lance thought,  _does that mean..?_ Lance immediately shut down the idea. Just because someone doesn't hate you, doesn't mean they  _like_ you. Lance lifted up his phone, the blue glow illuminating the dark daycare. Three messages popped up, all from Pidge. 

         **Hey! You coming out with us?**

**Lance? You okay?**

**Oh my god are you on a date with him?**

        Lance found himself smiling as he typed out a response.  **I'm fine, no date, let's go out. My choice though, no nerd places.**

         **Fine. But I'm bringing Hunk.**

        After the drive to Pidge's apartment, a very short, angry girl swung open the door. "You're looking well," Lance said to Pidge. 

        "No date?!" She exclaimed, and left the door open as she stormed away. Lance quickly came inside as she continued. "Who does he think he is? Oh, big man with his job at a  _mechanic's_? God, does he have no emotion? No, no, he doesn't, he's as droll as a gray wall! I-I  don't even get it. You're funny, you aren't that funny looking-"

        "Gee, thanks, Pidge," Lance interrupted her. "No, it's not like I asked him out. We actually had a fight."

        Pidge swiveled around and sat on the couch, her and Hunk assuming their "listening" positions (hunched over with their palms pressed together and fingers against their mouths). This was pretty much the go ahead to rant. 

        Lance sighed. As two Garrison workers, who were best friends practically from the moment they met, and then started dating, the amount of drama was pretty much limited to whatever Lance told them. And Lance was very happy to provide. 

        After about forty minutes of hand waving, reenactment, and exasperation, the tale of the embarrassing moment in the morning along with the fight of the night was finished. Lance collapsed in an overstuffed chair and searched their faces for any expression of disbelief or disgust. Instead, he found two expressions of cold calculation. 

        "What?" Lance demanded. 

        Hunk broke first. "Well, it sounds like you overreacted a little, bud." 

        "What?!!"

        "Okay, so you ran into a weird moment where you guys got too close then he was late to pick up his dog and you accused him of biphobia because he got uncomfortable?" Pidge asked. 

        "Well, when you say it like that, it sounds ridiculous," Lance huffed. "You should've been there with his stupid, arrogant face all twisted up and stupid. He was acting like I stabbed him for God's sake!"

        Hunk shifted back and crossed his arms. "And you're still into him?"

        "What? No. God. No, how-how could, how could I?" Even as he denied it, he felt his cheeks warm. 

        "Oh, my God, you  _do!_ You lashed out at a guy you still want? You need a rebound, and fast," Pidge advised, as if this had turned into a terminal illness. 

        "It's not like I can just go out and forget him! I mean, yeah, he's a huge dick sometimes, but-"

        "That sentence better not go the way I think it is," Hunk interjected. 

        Both Pidge and Lance gasped unanimously and Pidge slapped Hunk on his arm. Just like that, the tension seemed to lift for a moment. 

        Pidge spoke first, "Let's go out. All of us. To a bar, or something. It might be fun. Might take your mind off things, you know?" 

        "You know what," Lance inhaled deeply and sighed. "Yeah. Let's do it. Let's go to, uh, that new place in L.A., Cairo?"

        "Egyptian theme? Sounds tacky," Hunk grumbled. 

         "You said my pick, and I pick there. It's really pretty, they have hookah, a bar, and a dance floor. It's perfect. You'll love it, and if you don't, we'll have a nerd night," Lance said and got up. "I'm going to get ready, see you there at ten."

         And with that, Lance flew out the door. Pidge and Hunk looked at each other with equal parts worry and amusement. 

         "Are we going to die tonight?" Hunk asked. 

         "Only if we lose sight of him," Pidge replied. 

* * *

**KEITH**

        **Hey, heard about the thing w/ Lance. Sorry. Wanna go out and chill tonight?**

        Keith stared at the message from Shiro. Go out? And chill? Keith hadn't "chilled" probably since fifth grade. Tragic mistake, fell asleep at his desk and got in trouble and got shamed in front of the whole- you know? Different story for another time. But, still. Going out with Shiro? Keith again, hadn't gone out with anyone. 

         **How did you find out about the thing?** Keith texted back. 

        A few moments of silence, then,  **...Allura told me.**

        Keith's jaw dropped.  **She said she was leaving to go on a date with you! How did she know? Did Lance tell her?**

Resounding ting.  **No, she heard arguing after she left. Went back inside and saw you guys freaking out, left after she heard the majority.**

**So now you want to take me out because you pity me?**

**No, I'm taking you out for a rebound.**

Keith squinted his eyes.  **A rebound? Why? Where?**

         **Yes, something to take your mind off things. Because I care about you. And new place, Cairo. Allura says it's good.**

**And if I say no?**

**Don't have a choice. Picking you up around 10. Dress decent.**

**What about Nikita?**

**She'll be okay for one night, Keith. We're leaving at 10, period.**

Keith tossed his phone at his bed and rubbed his face. He had already been tense from Lance and his situation, then they fought, and now Shiro wants him to abandon all responsibility to go out? For a rebound? What even comes out of that, a one night stand, which is ultimately pointless, and who even finds the person they want to be with in a bar? Keith doubted a rebound would even be worth his time. Nikita trotted happily to him, carrying her favorite elephant stuffed animal in her mouth. 

        "What do you think, girl? Think I should go?" Keith asked. 

        Nikita tilted her head, licked his hand, and jumped on the bed. She stared at him, almost in a challenge.  _You gonna stay here or actually live a little?_

Keith sighed. "You've got a point there. Guess it's time."

         _I better not regret this._


	8. Chapter 8

**KEITH**

        Keith did not want to go. By all means, if he could get out of it, he would. But, Shiro had known him too long, and had picked up on his tricks. After deciding not to try too hard, he didn't want to scream desperate, he picked out a black signature v-neck shirt and jeans with sneakers. Shiro arrived shortly after. 

        "You all set?" Shiro asked, eyeing him up and down. 

        "Obviously, it's not like you'd let me out of this," Keith grunted in response. He refilled Nikita's water bowl and food dish, throwing her an extra rawhide bone to keep her entertained a bit longer. "See you in a bit, Kita," he whispered exclusively to her, ruffling the fur around her ears before following Shiro out the door. 

        Driving in silence to the club, the arrival was quite noticeable. The bass was spilling out of the club and practically shaking the pavement. Bright yellow lights lit up the sign and pillars around the front doors. For being an Egyptian styled club, the outside architecture was undeniably following a Greek pattern. _Either the the place was just rented or still not making enough income to change anything that big yet,_ Keith noted. 

        Preparing for the worst, Keith followed Shiro indoors. If the music was loud outside, inside was enough to reverberate through your lungs and melt your brain out your ears. Gauzy material was swathed everywhere, around pillars, dangling from the ceiling, and in some cases, used as curtains you had to brush through. People were clumped together in large groups, very few loners waiting by the bar. There were even dancers, as seen by their Aladdin-esque attire, that were employed by Cairo to get people on the dance floor. The dance floor was pretty much every flat surface. There were a few couches arranged up small sets of stairs, for relaxing or, as some of the youth decided, for dry humping your partner.

        "I'll go get us some drinks!" Shiro shouted over the music. 

        "Nothing too strong," Keith tried to shout back, however Shiro had disappeared into a crowd of bodies. 

        Looking for a place to rest, he half walked, half jogged up a set of stairs. Scanning an area, his heart jumped at the sight of two familiar faces. Pidge and Hunk, the nerd wonder-couple from the Garrison. Of course back in Keith's day, they had just been good friends, but he had heard after he left that they had finally connected. Realizing they had now seen him too, he knew it was too late to pretend he hadn't and walk away. Unwittingly, he walked over to them.

        "Hey," Keith said awkwardly. 

        Hunk smiled at him, he had always been so friendly. "Hey, Keith! Long time no see! How are you?"

        "Good, yeah, good. I've been busy with work, so Shiro thought it'd be a good idea to get me something 'fun' for a change," Keith replied, using air quotes around "fun". 

        "Ha, that's funny, same reason we brought  _Lance._ Thought it'd be good for him to loosen up. Shiro's here, too?" Pidge said, and the emphasis on Lance's name made Keith's skin prickle. 

        Trying to calm himself, he took a deep breath. "Yeah, Shiro's here. Went to-"

        Just like that, the man himself joined them. "Pidge! Hunk! What's up, you two?" 

        The three quickly get in a rapt discussion of the Garrison and such, and Keith began to feel out of place. He took the Hurricane shot from Shiro's hand and knocked it back. "I'm gonna go scope the place out," he said to no one in particular, setting the empty glass back down. 

        Going back down the stairs, he decided to check out the dance floor, see if there was even anyone who could take his mind off of....

        _Lance._

        In the middle of the main dance floor, swirling around in the lowlight was none other than the exact person he had been trying to avoid. It seemed to Keith that Lance had already had a few drinks, but that could've just been Lance's personality. The club's dancers had lent him their own scarves of fabric, which he twirled around and danced in while the crowd cheered. Spinning around, Lance's bright blue, dilated eyes locked on Keith's deep indigo ones. A slow, Cheshire Cat-like smile appeared on his face and he slipped through the crowd. Keith tried to escape, but his bulky figure was not as easy to maneuver, and before he knew it, Lance was right in front of him. 

        "Hm. Guess you just couldn't stay away?" Lance spoke, and even though it was soft, Keith heard every word. 

        "Sh-Shiro wanted to take me out for the night. I did-didn't know you would be here," Keith stammered out. 

        Lance's hand reached up, almost like it was going to caress his cheek, then lowered it. "You said Shiro was here? I used to have the biggest crush on him. Always so strong, smart, too."

        Keith was taken aback. Either Lance was trying to make him jealous, or had drunk enough to loosen his tongue about past crushes. Lance brushed past him, and up to where Pidge, Hunk, and Shiro sat chatting. Keith, feeling lost, followed dutifully behind. 

        Once he got up into the seating area, he found Lance, shamelessly sitting extremely close to Shiro, batting those long, dark lashes, and laughing at every thing he said. Keith's jaw clenched. He knew he and Lance shared absolutely nothing, in fact, they didn't even leave things off very well the last time they saw each other. After about the fifth time Lance leaned in to brush his hand down Shiro's bicep, Keith decided to intervene.

        "Lance? A word? At the bar, preferably," Keith said shortly.

        Once they had both seated at the bar, Keith ordered two drinks for the both of them. Once they arrived, Lance immediately drank his and slammed it back down on the bar.

        "So, what did you want to talk about?" Lance asked.

        "What's your deal tonight? Practically throwing yourself at Shiro, even though you know he's dating your  _sister_ , you're drinking a lot, and dancing like the club pays you to do it. What's going on with you? Is it because of this afternoon?"

        Lance smirked and ordered another drink. "Aw, Keith, you  _do_ care. Here I was thinking you hated me. But that isn't the case, is it? No, I don't think so."

        Keith's face burned, as it normally did around Lance. "I think you're drinking a lot, and dancing in a way that someone here might get the wrong idea. I just don't want you in a situation you'll regret."

        "Someone here might get the wrong idea? And what idea is that, Keith? That I need someone? That I'm desperately bored and want someone to come home with me and f-"

        " _Enough_ !" Keith shouted. Luckily, with the loud music and other conversations going on, no one but Lance seemed shocked. "Stop rambling about that stuff! It's..indecent, at the very least. And if you're that bored with your life, and want someone, going to a bar for a hook up is the way to either get some kind of STD or get murdered."

        "That's sweet that you care about my wellbeing, Keith. But if you really cared about me, we wouldn't still be here," Lance leaned in and whispered. 

        Keith gaped at Lance. "I-I'm not sure I follow." 

        Lance moved even closer, slipping off the edge of his bar stool. "You understand me perfectly. If you don't feel the same way, feel free to leave and let me find someone else. If you insist on staying, don't be upset when I leave with someone else. Or, you could grab a taxi, and take me home." 

         "I don't think you understand what you're saying," Keith breathed out. 

         Then, all of the sudden, Lance pulled away. Keith almost leaned forward just to stay close, then mentally reprimanded himself. Lance seemed to enjoy the look on Keith's face. 

         "I'll give you ten minutes. Then you make your decision," Lance said and walked back to the dance floor, swaying his hips ever so slightly. He shot one final look at Keith and smirked before he disappeared into the flow of people. 

        Keith only thought a single word. 

         _Fuck._

        


	9. Chapter 9

**LANCE**

        Lance knew he was being difficult. He didn't have to set an ultimatum, didn't even need to single Keith out. He had already gotten three numbers and four offers, including one that looked surprising like Keith. Black mullet and everything. Lance was being selfish and irrational, but that was the only way to get noticed it seemed. Once back into the crowd of dancers, cheers roared at his return. He lost count of his dance partners as he was pretty popular and, in his mind, the best looking one on the floor.

        "What's your name?" A sweet voice behind him whispered in his ear. 

        Lance glanced behind him. Probably five foot four, dark brown eyes, dark skin. Small frame, lithe. Part of Lance screamed,  _Baaaaad idea,_ another part of him thought,  _Would this bother him?_ Not bothering to really think it through, he answered. "Lance. What about you?"

         She batted her eyelashes and moved in front of him, lacing her arms over his shoulders. Lance's eyes flickered behind her to see a familiar head of black hair and violet eyes, narrowed almost in anger. "Vera," she said. 

        Placing one hand on top of her's, he spun her out and back to him, this time with her back pressed against his chest. "Nice name," he mumbled in her ear, making direct eye contact with Keith as he smirked. Perhaps Keith genuinely just wanted to take care of him, in a platonic sense. Maybe he didn't. Whatever the reason, it seemed to break him.

        Keith stormed onto the floor, and grabbed Lance's hand. "Sorry, it seems my boyfriend had a few two many drinks," Keith barked out. 

        Lance's heart fluttered in his chest. He knew it was just to get her away from him but he couldn't help the stupid smile that came to his face when he heard Keith say "my boyfriend". The girl, Vera, on the other hand backed off instantly, as Keith was throwing out major crazy vibes. Keith pulled on Lance's wrist and dragged him away from the floor. 

        Once away from the majority of the crowd, Lance smirked up at him. "Boyfriend? I don't even remember a date."

        Keith sighed and rubbed his temples. "Let's just go, you brat. You got what you wanted."

        Lance knew beggars can't be choosers, but he couldn't help but be disappointed. "Do you really not want to go? Because I'm not going to jump on you if you don't want this to happen."

        "I-I don't know what is going on through my head. I don't know what I want, I just know that I don't want you dancing out there anymore. You attract a lot of," Keith paused. "Attention."

        Keith started walking towards the entrance, texting- probably Shiro. Lance took out his own phone as he jogged after him, sending a quick message to Pidge and Hunk in their group chat:  **Keith caved i guess. see you tomorrow ;)**

        Two immediate replies: from Pidge,  **idk how you did it but congrats dude knock yourself out** , and the second from Hunk,  **Please don't give us details afterwords. Please.**

Keith must've ordered an Uber, as he held open a car door for Lance. The car ride to Keith's house was quiet, and almost uncomfortable. The driver didn't ask any questions. Once they pulled into Keith's driveway, Lance was almost surprised. It looked...suburban. White picket fence, groomed lawn, even a flower bed. Keith held open the car door, silently, and unlocked the front door. Nikita was barking but stopped the moment she saw Keith, and began whining when she saw Lance. 

        "Hey, sweetie, hi sweetheart, yes, I know, we're here," Keith cooed at her. He refilled her food and water bowl. 

        Lance scratched behind her ears, one of her favorite spots other than her belly, and she happily licked his palm. Keith, silent and stoic as ever, walked over to the kitchen and poured two glasses of water. Lance followed him dutifully into the living room, where Keith set the glasses on coasters (yes, wooden coasters) and plopped onto the couch. Nikita followed example and laid down in her doggy bed. 

        "So..." Lance said awkwardly. "What now?"

        Keith rubbed his face. "First you need to hydrate and sober up. I'm going to feel awful if anything comes from this and you weren't in your right mind."

        Lance took a few gulps from his water then turned to face Keith, surveying his expression. "Why do you act like this? You say you aren't interested, you run away from me, and yet you never want me around anyone else. I hate not knowing if you're doing this out of pity, if you actually are interested in me, or if you just see me as this thing that has to be protected."

        "It's not out of pity," Keith answered. "I don't know what it is, but it's definitely not pity. You're probably the only guy that has actively and continuously pursued me. At least that's what I think this is. I've been out for a while-"

        Lance's face turned red, and Keith's matched. "Wait, so you are gay? Or bi, I don't want to judge or anything, you could be pan too-"

        "No, no..I-I'm gay," Keith stammered, "just never been with a guy..God, why am I telling you this?"

        Lance felt his heart flutter. "That's okay, it's not like I'd tell anyone, I mean, what would be the point of that, I'm not a complete asshole. If it makes you feel any better, I've only been with one guy before."

        Keith turned to face to face with Lance, his eyes wide. "Really?" 

        "Yeah," Lance said. "And it wasn't even that great. It's actually been a while since I was into a guy that way, I mean, discounting Shiro, because he's off limits due to his situation with Allura."

        "I get it," Keith said, surprising Lance.

        "Wait, what? You had a thing for Shiro?"

        Keith laughed, a sound rare to Lance, and it made his insides melt. "Of course I did. Spending time with him in the Garrison, seeing his natural leadership skills, he was strong, and sensitive, and friendly. He was always there for me. A while back, shortly before he started dating Allura, I realized it would never happen, and that was okay. We've always been friends, and that's fine with me."

        "Trust me, I get that," Lance said, getting more and more comfortable with every passing second. "Being around someone strong like that, with his confidence, it's intoxicating." 

        "Are you hitting on me right now?" 

        "Depends, are you okay with that?"

        Keith lifted his head to see Lance's coy smile. "Yeah, I think so." 

        Lance blushed again. "I'm nothing like Shiro, though. I'm not as strong, and I don't really have strong leadership skills..."

        "No, you aren't exactly like Shiro, and I don't expect you to be. That would just be creepy if I only wanted to be with guys like him. But you are confident. And comfortable with yourself. Which is, in my eyes, incredibly attractive. As far as the leadership thing goes, if you're trying to tell me you're a bottom, that's okay too."

        Lance laughed. "What? You think I'm a bottom?" 

        "You aren't?"

       "No," Lance said, incredulously.

       "Well," Keith said, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin on them. "This could pose a problem."

        "Oh.  _Oh_."

        "Yeah." 


	10. Chapter 10

**KEITH**

        Keith stared at Lance, surprised almost. "You're telling me that you're..."

        Lance's eyes narrowed. "A top? Do you not see all the confidence and control? You're telling me that you're.." He bit his lip and stopped himself as Keith's eyebrows raised higher. "Nah, you're right. You're definitely a top."

        A few moments of silence passed between the two, and Keith's mind scrambled for something to say. Something to do. It seemed too awkward now, discussing their sexual habits while seated four feet away from each other. Lance also seemed to pick up on the heavy air in the room. 

        "So...what do you want to do now?" 

        "What were you trying to do back at the club?" Keith asked, precisely at the same time. 

        For once, Lance had the decency to look embarrassed. He ran his fingers through his hair and then dragged his hands down his face. "I wanted to, uh..." Lance laughed nervously. "I thought that I would make you jealous. Now I think I just made myself into an idiot. I definitely don't think I can show my face around that club for a while."

        Keith's laugh surprised him and Lance both. "Jealous? You thought-you thought you would make me jealous by dancing with everyone in the club? And loudly proclaiming your affection for your sister's boyfriend?"

        "Didn't it work?"

        Keith's breath stalled. His tongue felt heavy in his mouth as his brain scrambled for something.  _Yes,_ his mind shouted,  _it worked way too well._ Skepticism crept in, an all too familiar friend. "Why me? You could've chosen anyone, anyone from the bars, the day care. Why did you want me, a guy with a past, with only his work and his dog to motivate him? I'm kind of a loser, Lance."

        "Don't say that!" Keith's head snapped to Lance, whose eyes were wide with vindication. "You aren't a loser. You're this cool, quiet, mysterious guy who cares a lot about his adorable dog, and that's just so-"

        Without thinking, without listening to that little voice in his head screaming  _nononono_ , without worrying about Lance... 

        Quicker than anyone should've been able to cross a couch, his hands were on Lance, behind his neck, around his waist. Refusing to keep his eyes open to see Lance's eventual rejection, his lips met Lance's. Unfortunately, or fortunately, Lance  _didn't_ reject him. Fevered hands tangled through Keith's dark hair, lips sought his own, persistent yet soft. Keith's eyes shot open in surprise. The sight of Lance's blushing cheeks and long lashes nearly melted Keith on the spot. 

        Lance pulled away, carefully, slowly. Keith's heart was pounding in his chest. Neither of the two spoke for some time, instead just staring at each other, bright blue eyes on dark violet, listening to their rapid breathing. Keith noticed, with quite some delight, that Lance's hands were still trailing down his arms. 

        "So," Lance laughed. "What do you wanna do now?" 

        Keith ducked his head, laughing. A few tears dripped from his right eye. He had never done this before. Not with a guy, let alone a guy like Lance. Suave, beautiful, lithe Lance. He was way out of his depth. 

        "I-I'm sorry," Keith huffed, trying to regain some of the "cool, mysterious guy" aura Lance believed he had. "I don't know what to do. I'm not exactly the most experienced...in this."

        A hand reached up and brushed some of Keith's long hair away from his eyes. "That's okay. I didn't mean  _that,_ I just meant...now. We can amount all of this up to pressure and alcohol if you want. We don't have to make anything of this. It's all my fault anyway, I was inadvertently throwing myself at you since the moment I saw you."

        "Don't make me kiss you again," Keith muttered with a wry smile. "I don't regret it, but will you?"

        "What?! Regret kissing you? God, no, never, it was-it was.." Lance stuttered to a stop. 

        Keith touched his hand. "Was it good? Or-not?"

        "It was..you," Lance said. "It was exactly how I thought it would be."

        Keith felt his smile widen. "You thought about kissing me?"

        Lance leaned back on his couch, smiling too. "Well, duh. In case you haven't noticed, I'm kinda super into you."

        "Are you sure?"

        "What do you mean, 'are you sure'? I feel like we keep circling the same conversation. Yes, I like you, yes, I'm sure. But, if you don't feel the same, then no problem. I'll just bottle it up and we can still be friends. I can still look after Nikita. It'll be okay. It's up to you, Keith. You have the final say," Lance said. His words were slow, and measured. It seemed like kissing Keith wasn't the only thing he thought about. 

        Keith froze. "Up to me? But-but what if-"

        "No 'what ifs'. I told you where I stand. If you don't want to, you don't have to. I'm not some crazy dude who is going to force you to do something that you don't want to do."

        "Okay."

        The finality of Keith's decision surprised both of them. 

        "And?"

        Keith turned to face Lance, exhilaration pumping through his veins. The choice was made. He couldn't remember the last time he smiled this long, this wide. 

        "I choose you."


	11. Chapter 11

**LANCE**

"I choose you."

        The words thundered in Lance's brain, reverberating down to his chest. Without a second thought, he launched himself into Keith's arms. A look of surprise crossed his face for just a moment before he wrapped his arms around Lance's waist and pulled him close. Lance's legs straddled Keith's waist, his hands drove through Keith's hair, and his lips met his with fervor. Keith's hands gripped Lance's waist, slowly working under his shirt. The first touch of his hands on Lance's bare skin made him want to dissolve into a happy puddle. 

        "And you....actually wanted me....to believe...you were...a top?" Keith whispered in between kisses. 

        Lance felt his heart flutter, hearing Keith breathless.  _I'd like to hear that again, many more times, until the day I die._ In Lance's moment of hesitation and admiration, Keith's mouth drifted to Lance's neck. A very loud and obnoxious gasp involuntarily burst from Lance's throat. 

        Keith pulled away immediately, his eyes wide and his pupils blown. "Bedroom?"

        "Bedroom," Lance agreed. 

        His expectation of having to awkwardly climb off Keith was immediately shattered while Keith lifted him up with ease. Lance's hands gripped Keith's shoulders and his legs tightened around Keith's waist half for security, and half to just be closer to him. "Strong, huh?"

        Keith must've gotten to the bedroom door, because he shifted his hands so one opened the door and the other one was briefly right on...

        "Handsy, too," Lance smirked. 

        "Hey," Keith scolded, closing the door with his foot and placing both his hands on Lance's ass. "Are you honestly complaining?" 

        Keith set Lance down on the bed so softly, Lance practically reached forward to keep the skin contact. As he began to, he internally scolded himself and tried to recline against the mattress. Surprisingly, the mattress was soft which was a sharp contrast to his clean, orderly, and military style decor. 

        "You seem okay with bottoming," Keith said at last, "but I want to make sure before this goes any farther."

        Lance blushed. "Thanks for checking and yes, I'm definitely okay with bottoming for you."

        His candid reply must've caught Keith off guard, his cheeks turning just as red as Lance's and his hands stalling at the hem of his shirt. It didn't last nearly as long as Lance wanted it too, though he was totally okay with seeing Keith strip off his shirt. If he wasn't hard before, he definitely was now. Keith kept in shape, that was obvious enough. Lance's eyes took in his sculpted figure, and Keith smirked down at Lance. 

        "Enjoying yourself?" Keith asked. 

        "A little more than I want to admit," Lance sighed. "But I'd enjoy it even more if you were closer."

        Keith laughed under his breath. "Well, first things first, you're  _way_ too overdressed."

        He put one knee in between Lance's legs and his hands found the edge of Lance's shirt. Slipping his hands under, Lance's skin erupted in chills. Without a single word being exchanged, Lance lifted his arms and Keith removed his shirt. Lance would've been embarrassed about the difference in their bodies, but Keith didn't give him a chance to evaluate or say anything. His lips met Lance's again, with the same energy as before. He drifted to Lance's neck again, almost knowing how Lance would respond. Lance moaned, inherently tightening his grip on Keith's hair. 

        Keith removed himself, taking each of Lance's wrists and pinning them against the mattress. Just watching him assert himself over Lance made his heart thump madly against his ribs and made him reconsider if he was a top, ever. Around someone like Keith, Lance was hopelessly and shockingly submissive. 

        "You're a very interesting top," Keith teased. 

        Lance squirmed, struggling to break his hold. "You're...just really...strong...not fair.."

        Keith chuckled again, releasing his hold on Lance. He sighed, thinking he'd get a chance to show his dominance when Keith's hands moved down to his jeans button and zipper. Lance shot straight up, surprise taking over. 

        "Sorry, are you still okay with this?" Keith asked, now kneeling in between Lance's legs. His eyes were wide with concern and the expression alone made Lance go immobile. 

        "Yes, definitely, absolutely." He was practically begging him. "I need something, we have to do something."

        Keith smiled for a moment before quickly undoing and tugging on the waistband of Lance's jeans.  _God, it's happening, finally._ Lance lifted his hips and Keith slung the jeans around his ankles. Lance wondered if his shark patterned briefs were appropriate, though he wasn't thinking about it for long. Keith's hand found Lance's dick, and for a moment his world spun with stars. He gasped as Keith ran his hand up and down him, the underwear creating another layer of friction. Lance balled the sheets in his fists, trying to keep his eyes open while euphoria kept trying to shut them. A hot breath ghosted over him, and a high-pitched whine escaped him. 

        "Please, please," Lance moaned. 

        Satisfied with his begging, or simply tired of teasing, Keith removed Lance's briefs and his lips latched around Lance's tip. Lance fell back against the mattress again, sheets still in his grasp. They were the only thing that reminded him this wasn't one of his dreams or fantasies. After a few deep breaths, Lance found the strength to open his eyes and look down. Big mistake. When he looked down, he saw something short of a portrait of God himself. Keith's cheeks were hollowed out against Lance's dick, with one hand twisting around what he couldn't reach, and those deep, dark blue-violet eyes staring up at him. 

        Lance's hips canted forward of their own accord, hitting the back of Keith's throat. An almost inhuman growl came from Keith, and his hands pushed Lance's hips back down. Keith pulled off of Lance, and loomed over him.

        "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that-" Lance began to apologize but Keith put one hand behind his neck and brought their lips together. Once again, Lance melted into him. When they pulled apart, they were both panting.

        "You shouldn't have done that, you're right. Maybe it's time we moved on," Keith said. 

        Lance sat up, worried. He ran his hands through Keith's hair again, feeling the soft raven strands. "No, please, I want to-"

        Keith cut him off again. "I know that. And I want to, too. I meant maybe it's time to, you know.."

        "Oh. Yeah. Do you have..stuff?" 

        Keith smiled sheepishly and reached over Lance to his bedside drawer. Keith brought out a shiny square and a gray tube. "Not that I've ever used them, or anything, but you know..it's good to be prepared." 

        "I appreciate that," Lance replied with a grin.

        Keith started to tear open the condom wrapper while also trying to take off his pants; Lance was more than happy to help him with those things. Lance removed his hands from his zipper, opened, and tugged them down. When Lance saw Keith's outline, he wanted to make some quip about it but couldn't form the words. He reached out, as if in a trance, and traced his fingers over Keith. A strong hand grabbed his wrist. 

        "Hey, I'm not gonna risk coming until I'm inside of you," Keith muttered, his voice low. 

        Lance squeaked out something undignified and melted back into the mattress. Keith disposed of both of their underwear fairly quickly. As much as Lance wanted to lay there and admire Keith, and Keith's insanely amazing cock, Keith slipped on the condom and squirted some lube over his index and middle finger. Watching Keith loom over Lance, one hand running over himself, looking down at Lance with a look in his eyes that could've made him come in a minute. Before he could, Keith coated his fingers in another thick layer of lube and moved closer to Lance. 

        "You ready?" Keith asked. 

        Lance smirked and spread his legs in response. Keith's fingers slowly worked into Lance, just his index at first. Lance groaned and gripped Keith's shoulders, his hips canting forward.  _God, it's been a long time since I got laid._ The second finger all but slipped in and Lance arched his back and moaned louder. Keith, a look of concentration over his face began scissoring his fingers to stretch Lance. 

        "For a virgin, you're way too good at this," Lance whispered. Keith chuckled under his breath and continued practically torturing him. "Enough of this," Lance said and swung a leg over Keith's waist. The change in balance sent Keith flat on the bed and Lance straddling him again.

        "You sure you're ready?" Keith asked, concern over his face.

        Feeling the curve of his cock against Lance's ass gave him all the confirmation he needed. Lance rose up, aligned himself and sunk down on Keith. His head fell backward and a moan to shame a porn star escaped from Lance. Strong hands wrapped around his waist and gripped him tightly. Lance managed to open his eyes and look at Keith. Every muscle in his body was tensed up, and he was panting through gritted teeth. Lance rose up, twisted his hips slightly, and came down again, to lean on Keith.

        "You can open your mouth, you know," Lance murmured, kissing Keith's neck. "I wanna hear you."

        "If I open my mouth, and  _relax_ , I can't be responsible...for what happens," Keith grunted out through his teeth. 

        Lance smiled, finally happy to be getting his way. He spread his hands over Keith's chest and began riding at his set pace. Swiveling down onto him, Lance let out another moan and something in Keith must've finally snapped. 

       Keith let out another animalistic growl and Lance felt his perfectly stable rhythm get thrown off by Keith's powerful thrust. Lance squeaked and was practically forced on top of Keith, hands on either side of his head. With one strong hand gripping his waist, probably tight enough to leave bruises, Keith grabbed Lance's face for another passionate, sloppy kiss. Seeing the sheen of sweat coating his body, Lance was surprised by the sudden urge to lick him clean. Once they broke apart, Lance gasped for breath, pressing his head against Keith's shoulder. Keith's was filling him up so nicely, hitting just everything-

        A shockingly gentle thrust brushed against Lance's prostate and without a shred of dignity and a very loud scream, Lance felt his orgasm explode, all the pressure in his abdomen releasing- splashing Keith's chest with his cum. Teeth clamped down on his shoulder briefly, the pain and pleasure a surprising first for Lance. 

        "That's it, beautiful," Keith crooned, his assault on Lance's prostate continuing without pause. 

        "K-Keith, s-s-stop, I'm too..sensitive!" Lance cried out, though he wasn't sure if he really meant it. His senses were overloading and his whole body was tightening and relaxing, chanting Keith's name like a prayer. 

        With a low, but building, resonant roar, Lance felt Keith's cock twitch and pulse inside of him. Keith held Lance down while he pumped himself inside the condom. A mind-melting moment made Lance think about what it would be like if he came inside him, unprotected, when Keith slipped out of him. Lance collapsed and rolled to his side, eyes wide, and his whole body damp. A rustling to his other side informed him that Keith was cleaning up. As much as Lance wanted to help, he was pretty much out of commission. Keith moved into another room, must've been the bathroom, and emerged a few minutes later in a fresh pair of boxers and a cloth in his hand. 

        Keith gently pushed the hair out of Lance's eyes. "I'm just going to clean you up a little bit," he said quietly, running the cool wash cloth over Lance's face, his chest and stomach. Moving his legs apart made Lance want to cry, Keith's tender touch made his heart soar. After cleaning the inside of his legs up, Keith disappeared again to the bathroom. Lance closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths.  _Next time,_ he vowed, I'm _topping and I'm gonna ruin him._ The bed dipped down beside him and he felt those warm hands covering them both with a fluffy comforter. Lance felt a different kind of euphoria as Keith wrapped his arms around him and pulled him to his chest.

        "You okay with this?" Keith murmured in his ear, already sounding sleepy.

         _Play hard to get, don't get too close so soon,_ Lance's head warned. But he betrayed himself as he caved and laced his fingers through Keith's. "Yeah."

        "Goodnight," Keith kissed his neck, right by his ear. Not demanding or sexual, but just...sweet. 

        "Goodnight," Lance finally managed, though Keith had already begun lightly snoring and the clock blinked 4:00 AM.


	12. Chapter 12

**KEITH**

         _Beep. Beep. Beep._  The cruelty of working an early shift settled down onKeith. Eyes still closed, rolled over and slammed a hand on top of the alarm clock. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up slowly in bed, feeling for....

         _Where was he?_

In a moment of panic, Keith's eyes shot open, surveying the room. The bed was empty, aside from him and the rumpled sheets. Lance's phone from the side table was gone.  _Oh._ Maybe he should have expected it, it wasn't as if they talked in length about what would happen "after", but that thought didn't make him feel any less alone. Sure, Lance didn't have a ride home, but he had a phone, and he could've called a taxi or an Uber.  _No, he probably_ did  _call a taxi or Uber,_ his brain corrected. Sighing, he fell back against the mattress. This was going to make an awkward morning when he dropped Nikita off. 

        Shutting his mind down, he pushed away thoughts of Lance, and last night; or he tried. Once in the shower, all he could think about was Lance. If he had stayed, maybe they would've showered together, and Keith would make fun of Lance when he freaked out about Keith's lack of fancy body washes and facial cleansers. After toweling off and getting dressed, he thought about how adorable Lance would look in his clothes. Running his hand through his still-wet hair, he opened the bedroom door and wandered into the kitchen and froze. 

        "Good morning," Lance chirped happily from behind the breakfast bar. Nikita bounded over to him and kissed his hands as Keith tried to take in the environment around him. 

        Lance was setting down a plate of bacon, next to a platter of eggs, and pancakes. Brewing coffee bubbled over in the corner. The whole scene screamed domestic bliss. Keith almost wanted to pinch himself.

        "Good...morning?" Keith said slowly, examining Lance further. He was wearing an old shirt of Keith's and a pair of boxers Keith had been hoping to drop off at a Goodwill because they had gotten far too small to fit him.  _He_ does  _look adorable in my clothes._

        "You gonna stand there all morning, or are you going to eat something?" Lance teased. 

        Keith sat down at the small dining table. "How did you-when did you-I thought you-"

        Lance smirked. "No, I do not normally get up early, so consider yourself lucky. I thought for sure you would've woken up but I must've tired you out last night. I only got up about an hour before you."

        "I-" Keith began to protest, but thought better of it. "I thought you left."

        An interesting expression moves across Lance's face fleetingly before he reconfigured it to his previous smirk. "Considering you might've permanently rearranged my guts, I figured I might show my appreciation."

        Keith opened and shut his mouth, eyes wide, and  _very_ unsure of how to respond. This is as far as he's ever been with a guy, and it was a miracle he even  managed to get this far. "Well, um..you're welcome?"

        "It's a good thing you're so cute, because you are not good with words," Lance said, his tone laced with mock-pity. 

        Without missing a beat, as Keith filled up his plate with food, he replied, "Not what you thought last night."

        Lance looked incredulous. "I...y-you..." 

        Keith laughed out loud, another real laugh that surprised him. He didn't remember the last time he felt this at ease with another person. "So, what now?"

        Lance had just shoved an ungodly amount of pancake in his mouth, and Keith let him have a moment to chew. "Well, I don't know. I'm okay with whatever you want, I guess?"

        "I get it if you just wanted a one night stand," they both said at the simultaneously. Lance punched Keith's arm, and he made a mental note that kid was tougher than he looked.

        "Jinx! Owe me a soda!" Lance said, a childish smile on his face. "No, no, wait...You owe me a date."

        "You should know now that I have no idea where to take you or what to even do on this date. Like I am clueless," Keith's words rushed out. 

        "Oh, trust me, I figured. All you have to do is look pretty, show up, and drive us. I'll arrange everything else," Lance said, brushing a rogue strand of Keith's hair behind his ear. 

        Keith felt himself frown. "I'm not pretty."

        "That's not what I think," Lance said and kissed his cheek suddenly. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm gonna use the shower before we have to go to work."

         _Oh, no, work._ Keith had entirely forgotten that it was a Wednesday morning and he had to be at work in....He whipped his head around to the clock in the living room.  _Thirty minutes, figures. Lance better hurry up in there or else he can find another ride to work._ A snake of anxiety wrapped around Keith's stomach as his brain played out the multiple scenarios that would come from arriving at the daycare together. Oh, god, everyone would  _know._ Maybe if he dropped Lance around back, waited a bit, then brought her in? Or should he just call a cab for Lance? Would he be offended? Were they dating now? Was Keith supposed to drop Lance off at work? 

        "KEEEEIIIIIITHHHHH!"

       Keith jerked his head from his thoughts, running to the bathroom door. Reaching for the knob, he thought better of it and rescinded his hand to his side. "What's wrong, Lance?"

        "Where's the conditioner?!!"

        "It's an all-in-one," Keith called back. 

        The shriek that erupted from the bathroom was, by Keith's scientific estimate, more shrill than a dog whistle and yet louder than his old ship taking off. 

        

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall im so sorry for getting this so late to you guys, school hit, then the depression hit and it was really hard to get back into the creative flow. i cant promise updates will be consistent but i promise i'll try and keep up with this one! thank you for sticking around to this point!!


	13. Chapter 13

**KEITH**

        Lance eventually finished getting ready (while loudly spouting off his hatred for all-in-one shampoo conditioner and swearing to "save Keith from his dry-haired hell"), Keith awkwardly piled himself, Lance, and Nikita into the truck. Nikita sat in between the two boys, and to be frank, Keith was more than okay with that. He didn't know if he was supposed to hold Lance's hand all the time, if this qualified as officially "dating", any of that. 

        After a few awkward moments of silence, Lance spoke. "Didn't know you were a truck guy."

        Keith felt a small smile creep on his face. "What does that supposed to mean?"

        "You know, the whole country-boy-giant-truck-loving stereotype," Lance replied, his voice carrying a mocking lilt. 

        "Just because I drive a relatively big truck doesn't mean-"

        "Tell me where you were born."

        Keith almost hit the car in front of him. He glanced over at Lance. "What?"

        Lance's face was arranged in a smug grin. "Just humor me. I wanna know."

        Keith felt a half-embarrassed, half-annoyed blush rise on the tips of his ears. "Arizona."

        The look of pure joy overtook Lance's face as he began to laugh. "No freaking way! How did I know?! How did I know that you were a country boy? Oh, God, please tell me that you have a country accent buried under there. Please tell me you were raised as this super chivalrous boy who said "yes, ma'am" or "no ma'am" after every question."

        "I'm gonna drop you off in the middle of the road," Keith grunted. 

        Lance mock-gasped, clutching Nikita to his chest. "Oh, how you wound me! You would never do that to us."

        "Bold of you to assume that I don't already have a short enough temper," Keith said, a humorous pitch returning to his voice. He pulled his truck into the daycare center and parked near the entrance. "Okay, so should you go out first and I wait fifteen minutes to come in or the other way around?"

        "What?" Lance asked, eyeing Keith curiously.

        "Is there a procedure we need to do to make this as uncomfortable as possible or something? I-"

        Lance reached over Nikita and kissed Keith squarely on the mouth. Pulling gently away, Lance smiled. "If you wanna keep this a one night stand, that's fine, just be open about it. If you want us to start doing this together for a while then you'll need to get used to being seen together in public. Are you okay with that?"

        Keith felt his mouth open and shut a couple of times before finding an ounce of resolve. "Y-yes, you..are right. Let's just go out and do this."

        "There's my country pumpkin," Lance smiled and popped the door open, Nikita going out on his side.

        "It's bumpkin," Keith whispered under his breath, knowing full well that Lance was out of earshot, cooing lovingly at Nikita. Keith had a moment of hesitation then rushed forward to get the door for the two of them. 

        "Thank you, sir," Lance said in a wonderfully wrong country accent, practically skipping into the store and back into the play pen area.

        Following him dutifully inside, he tried to swallow a lump of anxiety. Raising his head, he caught the stare of Lance's sister and the owner of the store. 

        "Hey, Allura," Keith's voice crackled out. 

        Allura slid the permission forms over to him for the day. "How was your night last night? Shiro said you went out to a bar."

        "Yes..I did. I drank, just a little though, not enough to impair..judgement, or anything," Keith replied haltingly while signing. 

        Allura's hand slapped down over the papers and Keith's head snapped up to meet her eyes.

        "Keith," Allura said, her voice low and her normally bright blue eyes serious. 

        "Yes?" Keith's voice still hadn't recovered from his first attempt at communication.

        "I saw you come out of the same vehicle as Lance. I know you both went to the same bar last night. I know that you know that I know."

        What was it about the Santiago kids that gave them the power to confuse Keith beyond his own comprehension? After a moment of trying to figure out what she meant, he finally pieced together a sentence. "Yes, I do..?"

         _Wow, award-winning line there, dumbass,_ Keith scolded himself. 

        Leaning in close, Allura whispered, "I love you like a brother Keith, but he  _is_ my brother. I don't need to give you the whole "hurt-him-and-I-kill-you" talk. I trust you know us better than that."

        "Is it wrong then that I almost shit my pants?" Keith replied, in an equally quiet tone. 

        Allura leaned away and laughed, resuming talking at a normal volume. "Well, I'm excited for you two. Whatever kind of relationship you have should be interesting to watch at the least."

        "Um, thank you?" Keith said. 

        "Are you bothering him, Allura?" Lance's voice cut through their conversation as he came up behind the desk, next to his sister. 

        "Not at all," Allura assured with a grin, "just letting him go, actually. Unless there is something you need to discuss with him?"

        Lance pouted for a minute before leaning over the counter and pecking Keith on the cheek. "Have a good day at work."

        "Y-y-you too, Lance," Keith stammered before turning around and walking out of the store. 

        Slightly dazed, Keith got into his truck, rubbed his fingers over where Lance kissed him, the skin slightly tingling.  _This is new._


End file.
